UNews - Danielle Heavy Head

Blackfoot Digital Library receives Blackfoot name

caroline.zentner — Thu, 28 Nov 2024 21:38:08 +0000

The Blackfoot Digital Library (BDL) has received a Blackfoot name — Apani. The name, chosen by Elder Jerry Potts, translates to moth or butterfly and means ‘those that transfer knowledge.’

From left to right are Pam and Martin Heavy Head, Jerry Potts, Danielle Heavy Head, Bryce Many Fingers, Lilly Wells and Blair Many Fingers.

“It is noted in Blackfoot mythology as a carrier of information,” said Potts. “On a lot of Blackfoot teepees that come from dreams, you’ll see that symbol on the back of them.”

The BDL, launched about 15 years ago through a joint effort of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge and Red Crow College, provides a central space for field notes, photographs, images of Blackfoot objects, and recordings that have spread around the world. With a wealth of information, the library is a venue for sharing stories about Blackfoot families and communities. BDL also presents a way to respond to publications that have misinterpreted or misrepresented Blackfoot experiences and way of life and is designed to be an educational resource.

“I really cherish our old ceremonial items, like the beaver bundle,” says Potts. “It goes back thousands of years, back to, on the Blackfoot timeline, when dogs could talk. Those bundles are still active today. The old people, everything they did meant something, and the library allows younger people to learn about these things.”

“It’s really important to have a Blackfoot name attached to the project,” says Danielle Heavy Head, Blackfoot Digital Library liaison. “It sets more of a precedent within the community that this library is an important place, and it holds a lot of knowledge that can be carried forward.”

Along with receiving a Blackfoot name, a core group of people, comprised of Heavy Head, Christine Clark (BFA – New Media ’10, MFA – New Media ’14), a new media professor, library systems staff and students, has been evaluating how the content is structured in the digital library.

“I’m already a big Blackfoot nerd,” said Bryce Many Fingers, an undergraduate student studying psychology and art who is part of the core group. “As an artist, I like to get into dating the archives and collections and seeing the objects on the Mootookakio’ssin site and incorporating that into my art.”

He says learning more about Blackfoot history has given him insight into how to go about creating his artwork. For example, knowing that many of the photos of Blackfoot people taken by white people were an attempt to document a disappearing culture makes him more intentional when taking photos himself.

“There are a bunch of ways that working on the BDL benefits me personally, and then I’m just hoping others can utilize the resource,” he said.

For Blair Many Fingers, a master’s student in the Cultural, Social and Political Thought program, the most valuable lesson was applying Indigenous research methods based on collective relationality with the community of people who contributed to the project.

“I learned from the Elders, knowledge keepers and all the research participants, such as the librarians and FNMI liaison workers we conducted focus groups with, and so much from my supervisors, Danielle Heavy Head, Christine Clark and Dr. Josephine Mills,” Blair said. “The dream world, to the Blackfoot, is where the transfer of knowledge occurs. In that sense, the digital collection of Blackfoot knowledge is a place where people can learn about the Blackfoot way of life. However, I must advise that the digital library is meant to be a spark and gateway to lifelong learning and embodying the values of our ancestors. Part of learning is fostering real-life relations with our Elders, who teach us about the beauty of creation through stories, song, ceremony and language.”

Some of the major changes to the BDL include an extensive land acknowledgement developed by Blair and protocols for using the information in the library.

“That was part of our process of thinking about how we want to bring people into this space and set the terms of engagement with people,” said Clark. “Blair is working on a few more pieces for the site that will talk about protocol and how to access the information respectfully and in ways that are appropriate.”

Another focus for the revitalization work was to add more context to the records, such as sorting records into beginner, intermediate or advanced information, so users can more easily identify the appropriate records. Work was also done to connect each record to a list of names and places where, previously, a record would only link to an origin location and a current location.

“It’s very important to have connections to the land,” says Heavy Head. “Within Blackfoot ways of thinking, everything needs to be connected back to the land where we belong.”

In addition, Bryce has been adding Niitsitapi values to each record while incorporating the Blackfoot language. Work to update the records will continue as the BDL site grows. Having a Blackfoot name provides an umbrella for that future growth.

“When you give something a name, that means it’s alive,” says Bryce.

Funding for the Blackfoot name and revitalization project included the Indigenous Research Engagement grant from the Office of Research & Innovation Services, the Niitsitapi Circle of Excellence in Work-Integrated Learning (NCEWIL) from the Centre for Work Integrated Learning and Career Development, and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Library.

U of L research project will provide access to detailed models of historical Blackfoot objects held in British museums

caroline.zentner — Wed, 22 May 2019 18:20:00 +0000

A team of ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge researchers and Blackfoot Elders will soon embark on an ambitious project that will provide immediate virtual access to historical Blackfoot objects held in museums, thanks to federal funding from the New Frontiers in Research Fund.

The U of L researchers, led by Christine Clark (BFA ’10, MFA ’14), an assistant professor of New Media, and including Dr. Josie Mills, director and curator of the U of L Art Gallery, Danielle Heavy Head, Blackfoot Digital Library liaison, Jackson 2Bears, U of L art studio professor, and Marcus Dostie, U of L geography instructor, will create extraordinarily detailed 3D models of non-sacred Blackfoot objects held in British museums. Their collaborators in England include Louisa Minkin, MA Fine Art course leader at Central Saint Martins, Ian Dawson, co-director of the Critical Practices Research Group at Winchester School of Art, and Andy Jones, archaeology professor, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Southampton.

In order to adhere to their protocols and priorities, the project will be directed by Blackfoot Elders. Blackfoot approaches to knowledge emphasize the importance of caring for and sharing knowledge. The digital objects will be linked to people living in Treaty 7 territory through the Blackfoot Digital Library website, exhibitions at the U of L Art Gallery and live events, such as beading workshops.

The project is not focused on sacred objects nor on repatriation - the return of objects. Repatriation claims by Blackfoot elders focus on objects that would be returned and put back into use and as a result, these claims focus on sacred objects, such as ceremonial bundles. Mills explains “Our goal is to support sharing knowledge about how Blackfoot objects were made and to allow young artists to learn about historical techniques and materials. We will make images of everyday items which we can share with a wide audience because these do not have protocol restrictions.”

“This funding will allow us to study emerging technologies from a Blackfoot perspective. Imaging the artifacts in England is just the start; the biggest challenge is what we do with the resulting digital models,” says Clark. “We want to design media that reunites the objects with their traditional knowledge and supports the needs of the community, even in places where there isn’t high-speed internet access.”

“The importance of this project is huge for the Blackfoot Digital Library, as well as the Blackfoot community,” says Heavy Head. “These models are going to be freely available to our local artists. Many like to do traditional crafts like making beaded outfits and moccasins. This project allows them to examine the item closely, figure out how things were made back then and eventually be able to use those techniques in their contemporary pieces. These kinds of projects help us relearn, rediscover and re-ignite ceremony into the collective consciousness of our community.”

After creating detailed digital models of Blackfoot artifacts, the researchers will use digital tools, art-based public engagement and hyperlocal network technologies (for areas with limited access to high-speed Internet) to allow Blackfoot people to have immediate access and interact with the historical objects and their associated knowledge.

The research project begins with a trip to England with Blackfoot Elders and students to produce digital images of non-sacred objects in the British Museum, The Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology in Cambridge, and the Horniman Museum in London. To get an idea of some of the objects in the collections, read this article from the Horniman Museum & Gardens blog.

The research team will then produce web-based prototypes featuring the digital models to reunite the objects with their culture. In the final phases, the researchers will ensure the objects become part of the Blackfoot Digital Library website, as well as organize exhibitions and public programming to engage people with the knowledge held by the objects. Participants in the project will gain skills in digital media technologies—an area that needs more Indigenous voices. Indigenous youth will be involved in multifaceted workshops directly connected to their culture, creating an entry point for further learning and engagement.

“I’m excited about the professional development opportunities for our students,” says Mills. “This project will build bridges between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people and perspectives. We will be able to hire Blackfoot students to deliver programs in Lethbridge and on the Kainai, Piikani and Siksika reserves.”

The New Frontiers in Research Fund supports high-risk, high-reward and interdisciplinary research to help Canadian researchers make the next great discoveries in their fields.

UNews - Danielle Heavy Head

Blackfoot Digital Library receives Blackfoot name

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U of L research project will provide access to detailed models of historical Blackfoot objects held in British museums

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